6.7
Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman discovers a sinister and bizarre plot to rekindle the Third Reich.
Gregory Peck
Dr. Josef Mengele
Laurence Olivier
Ezra Lieberman
James Mason
Eduard Seibert
Lilli Palmer
Esther Lieberman
Uta Hagen
Frieda Maloney
Steve Guttenberg
Barry Kohler
Denholm Elliott
Sidney Beynon
Rosemary Harris
Mrs. Doring
John Dehner
Henry Wheelock
John Rubinstein
David Bennett
Anne Meara
Mrs. Curry
Jeremy Black
Jack Curry / Simon Harrington / Erich Doring / Bobby Wheelock
Bruno Ganz
Professor Bruckner
Walter Gotell
Mundt
David Hurst
Strasser
Wolfgang Preiss
Lofquist
Michael Gough
Mr. Harrington
Joachim Hansen
Fassler
Sky du Mont
Hessen
Carl Duering
Trausteiner
Linda Hayden
Nancy
Richard Marner
Doring
Georg Marischka
Gunther
Günter Meisner
Farnbach
Prunella Scales
Mrs. Harrington
Raul Faustino Saldanha
Ismael
Jürgen Andersen
Kleist
Mervyn Nelson
Stroop
David Brandon
Schmidt
Monica Gearson
Gertrud
Wolf Kahler
Schwimmer
Gerti Gordon
Berthe
Director
Franklin J. Schaffner
Novel
Ira Levin
Screenplay
Heywood Gould
June 4, 2023
7
I recall the first time I saw this - aged ten, or so, and been terrified by the ending... Laurence Olivier is "Lieberman", a Nazi hunter who is given some detailed information from a very young Steve Guttenburg ("Kohler") that his long sought nemesis Dr. Josef Mengele (Gregory Peck) is thriving in Paraguay - and that he has an intriguing ongoing scheme that could reignite the whole Nazi movement. What ensues involves Oliver travelling to South America where he must thwart this deadly plan. Neither actor are at the top of their game, indeed for many of Olivier's scenes I half expected Neil Diamond to emerge singing "Love on the Rocks" (even if we are 18 months too early). There is certainly something menacing about the whole thing, though - the concept of human closing and the manipulation of a person's evolution is scarily depicted as the scenarios build well to my aforementioned denouement that even now, I find suitably effective. James Mason has a bit part as the Nazi henchman "Siebert", and Lilli Palmer is quite good as Olivier's daughter ("Esther") and they add a little depth to this over-long, but decently paced mystery. Oddly enough, the questions it asks have more potency 40 years after it was made, and you can't help but wonder just how conceivable this whole thing might actually be...
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$12,000,000.00
Revenue:
$19,000,000.00